Chapter 565
"Had I been given such conditions in the past, I... might have truly achieved Yuanying within fifty years."
She genuinely did not think of herself as arrogant.
What were the conditions at Jiushan Sect back then?
And what are the conditions at Jiushan Sect now?
She had managed to achieve Yuanying back then...
And now... fifty years? She estimated that with sufficient resources, she could confidently attempt to break through to Yuanying in thirty to forty years!
The disciples behind her listened intently, their eyes shining with excitement.
Old Ancestor Xuehe nodded in agreement. "Let’s not even mention anything else; just the Yuanying Tribulation..."
"The heavenly thunder tribulation that people fear... with Jiushan Sect's research on thunder techniques, it really isn’t a problem."
Senior Sister Yuan nodded repeatedly.
As for the Tianzun (Heavenly Lord), according to Huang Taishang, they were not worthy of encountering him.
But they could still learn Zheng Shidi's thunder techniques.
Using the thunder techniques that could make the Tianzun's mindset explode to deal with the heavenly thunder tribulation...
It was indeed a bit too optimistic about the heavenly thunder tribulation.
"This Yin Fire Tribulation... and with the 'Tiangang Dishan Transformation'..." Old Ancestor Xuehe fell silent for a moment before suddenly cursing, "It’s simply outrageous."
Elder Huang nodded in agreement.
Her gaze towards the disciples behind her was filled with an indescribable emotion—
Not to mention the hardships we endured, it would be a bit excessive for you all to experience them all over again.
But for you to not experience any hardship at all is truly excessive!
Feeling a bit gloomy, she turned her head and saw Senior Sister Yuan grinning widely, clearly very happy.
It was evident that following her junior brother in cultivation was quite reassuring.
Moreover, Elder Huang knew that this bird could also consume the essence of Fusang wood (a mythical tree in Chinese folklore).
Just thinking about how this bird's progress in achieving Yuanying would surpass her own...
Her expression grew even more melancholic.
"And then there's the Heart Demon Tribulation." Senior Sister Zhang frowned, looking sternly at Yuan Xiaoniao, warning, "I’m worried you might fall victim to the Heart Demon in the future."
"That’s true..."
Elder Huang also glanced around at the group of disciples, focusing particularly on the few foolish ones for a long time.
Given the current environment of Jiushan Realm, while this group of disciples couldn’t be said to have faced no setbacks at all...
The trials they faced were far less than those of other sects.
And with their short cultivation time...
How they would confront the Heart Demon Tribulation was likely a significant issue...
"But Zheng Fa has been cultivating for an even shorter time, right? So he..."
Elder Huang suddenly thought of something and couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.
A strange smile flickered across Senior Sister Zhang's face:
"Before Shidi faces this Yuanying Tribulation... the last thing I worry about is the Heart Demon Tribulation."
"...Huh?"
Elder Huang looked at her in confusion, but Senior Sister Zhang's gaze was particularly peculiar as she watched Zheng Fa, who was caught in the Heart Demon Tribulation.
...
Zheng Fa had heard about the Heart Demon Tribulation for a long time, but this was the first time he truly witnessed how a Heart Demon was born:
As the Yin Fire burned away the shell of the Golden Core, his Yuanying seemed to tumble out of its mother’s womb.
The newly born Yuanying attracted his soul, as if calling for Zheng Fa's consciousness to inhabit it.
But just as his soul flew towards the freshly born Yuanying, he noticed something unusual.
A strange force, stealthily creeping in from the endless stars beyond the Xuanwei Realm, infiltrated Jiushan Realm.
Perhaps other Yuanying might not realize this during their tribulation.
But as the master of Jiushan Realm, with the sun and moon now fully under his control, Zheng Fa was acutely aware of every change in Jiushan Realm.
He could even see what was invading...
Souls!
All kinds of souls, some with twisted faces, others with joyful expressions, both male and female, young and old.
Yet Zheng Fa suddenly realized that these were all parts of himself.
These souls were not particularly powerful, but the stars above were nearly infinite, allowing these souls to gather together and slowly transform into another Zheng Fa...
One that looked just like him.
The power of these souls was not weaker than his own.
Zheng Fa raised his eyes to gaze at the stars above...
Back then, he had been blocked by a membrane from the Xuanwei Realm, and he had wondered what lay beyond.
Now it seemed, it was an infinite number of himself?
Or perhaps... those stars were parallel worlds?
...
"Stop crying!"
Zheng Fa snapped, his mind shifting, and a box of tissues appeared beside him.
The Heart Demon Zheng Fa, looking just like him, was weeping despairingly.
Seeing his own face in such a pitiful state made it hard for him not to feel disgusted.
The Heart Demon had no class.
It was agreed that as long as he could solve a set of problems, he would immediately hand over the Yuanying to the Heart Demon.
Was it really just... a few world-class problems?
He had happily agreed, but when he couldn’t solve them, he got angry and wanted to resort to force...
Force? Do you have the Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant to back that up?
Did you get smashed and cry?
Thinking of this, Zheng Fa felt even more gloomy—
With so many parallel versions of himself gathered together, and they still couldn’t solve these problems...
Then he... seemed a bit foolish?
He had to admit, Senior Sister Zhang was too optimistic.
This Heart Demon, relying on his own incompetence, was truly getting to him.
...
At this moment, Senior Sister Zhang was indeed feeling a bit insecure.
Days passed, and Zheng Fa still had his eyes closed, showing no signs of waking up.
"Why hasn’t Shidi passed the Heart Demon Tribulation yet?"
In Zheng Fa's sea of consciousness, he smiled at his Heart Demon and said:
"Don’t be in such a hurry to leave... we’re all family here!"
"…"
The expression of Heart Demon Zheng Fa grew increasingly speechless; he had already admitted defeat, yet he couldn’t leave...
You’re a Heart Demon, and I’m a Heart Demon?
"Tell me, how did you... come to be?"
Zheng Fa had a hunch that perhaps the original version of himself from the modern world shared a similar origin with this Heart Demon.
"I don’t remember how I was born." After a long silence, Heart Demon Zheng Fa finally spoke, "I only know that if I can’t occupy this Yuanying, I will disappear."
Zheng Fa frowned.
He wanted to understand the Heart Demon Tribulation from this Heart Demon, or what parallel worlds really were.
Especially since Jiushan Realm had always relied on the so-called Heart Demon Oath for secrecy, Zheng Fa was a bit uneasy. Now that he encountered a true Heart Demon, he naturally wanted to study it thoroughly.
Who would have thought this Heart Demon knew nothing and only cried.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 419: Who is Crossing the Tribulation? Where are My Divine Powers?
Days passed, and half a month later, Zheng Fa still had not awakened from the Heart Demon Tribulation.
A crowd gathered outside the Zhenxian Island, watching the figure of Zheng Fa within the light barrier, all puzzled.
"The Yin Fire Tribulation is over so quickly..." Old Ancestor Xuehe frowned, "Why is the Heart Demon Tribulation taking so long?"
Senior Sister Zhang's expression was also not good.
For others, the Heart Demon Tribulation usually ended within three to five days, but Zheng Fa had been undergoing his tribulation for several times longer than that, naturally causing concern among everyone in Jiushan Sect.
Not just Senior Sister Zhang, but Zheng Fa's mother, sister, and Zhao Jingfan had all come—since the Heart Demon Tribulation was an internal tribulation, unrelated to others, Senior Sister Zhang, fearing Zheng Mu and the others would worry, did not stop them from coming.
Elder Huang was also pacing back and forth, looking quite anxious.
"Zheng Fa's cultivation time is too short... his mindset isn’t strong enough to resist the Heart Demon?"
Her speculation made others ponder deeply.
Senior Sister Zhang had initially believed in Zheng Fa, but now, seeing the situation, she too felt a bit uncertain. However, after a moment, she asserted:
"I know Shidi's mindset; he wouldn’t be like this."
Old Ancestor Xuehe glanced at Zheng Fa's face and agreed, "Looking at the Sect Master's expression, it doesn’t seem like he’s being overwhelmed by the Heart Demon."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
This was also why they still had the leisure to discuss the matter.
Although Zheng Fa had been trapped in the Heart Demon Tribulation, the aura around him and the feeling his soul gave off were exceptionally calm—one could believe he was merely asleep.
Seeing that Senior Sister Zhang and Old Ancestor Xuehe opposed her thoughts, Elder Huang felt a bit more at ease:
These two knew Zheng Fa best; their judgment was certainly more accurate than her own.
But the next moment, she thought of another possibility:
"So, it means... even though Zheng Fa's Heart Demon hasn’t gained the upper hand, it’s particularly tenacious?"
"Where did he get such a powerful Heart Demon?"
Everyone was taken aback by her words, finding this explanation quite plausible.
Old Ancestor Xuehe nodded in agreement:
"Heart Demons are adept at exploiting the weaknesses of the human heart, especially the past that cultivators wish to forget. That’s why our Holy Sect cultivators fear Heart Demons the most..."
"Sect Master..." Old Ancestor Xuehe lowered his voice, "Has he suffered great grievances in the past?"
Hearing this, Senior Sister Zhang's eyes flashed with cold light as she turned to look behind her, her gaze fixed on Zhao Jingfan.
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